Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- Aviacsa (tel. 01-800/284-2272 in Mexico; www.aviacsa.com) can get you to several cities in Mexico, but all flights go through Mexico City -- even flights to Cancún, Chetumal, Mérida, Guatemala City, Villahermosa, and Oaxaca. Click, a subsidiary of Mexicana (tel. 01-800/122-5425 in Mexico; www.clickmx.com), has nonstop flights to and from Mexico City and Oaxaca.

Tuxtla's main airport is called Angel Albino Corzo (airport code: TGZ). It's 45 minutes south of the city. There is taxi service at the airport.

By Car -- From Oaxaca, you'll enter Tuxtla by Hwy. 190. From Villahermosa, or Palenque and San Cristóbal, you'll enter at the opposite end of town on the same highway from the east. In both cases, you'll arrive at the large main square at the center of town, La Plaza Cívica.

From Tuxtla to Villahermosa, take Hwy. 190 east past the town of Chiapa de Corzo; soon you'll see a sign for Hwy. 195 north to Villahermosa. To San Cristóbal and Palenque, take Hwy. 190 east. The road is beautiful but tortuous. It's in good repair to San Cristóbal, but there may be bad spots between San Cristóbal and Palenque. The trip from Tuxtla to Villahermosa takes 8 hours by car; the scenery is beautiful.

By Bus -- The first-class bus station (tel. 961/612-2624) is at the corner of calles 2 Norte and 2 Poniente. All bus lines serving this station and the deluxe section across the street (Uno, Maya de Oro, Cristóbal Colón, Servicios Altos) belong to the same parent company, ADO. The main station sells tickets for all buses. All buses are air-conditioned and have bathrooms. There are two levels of first class; the first-class económico has less legroom. Then there's deluxe, which features a few extras: slightly better seats, better movies, and free coffee and soda. There are buses every half-hour to San Cristóbal, eight buses a day to Villahermosa, three or four buses a day to Oaxaca, and five to Palenque. There's usually no need to buy a ticket ahead of time, except during holidays.

Orientation

Arriving -- Take a taxi from the airport to town. The ADO/Cristóbal Colón bus terminal is downtown.

Visitor Information -- The Tourist Office (tel. 01-800/280-3500 in Mexico, or 961/617-0550, ext. 35089) is in the Secretaría de Fomento Económico building, formerly the Plaza de las Instituciones, on Avenida Central/Bulevar Domínguez, near the Hotel Bonampak Tuxtla. It usually isn't of much help to visitors, but some of the staff at the information booths at the international airport (staffed when flights are due) and at the zoo (Tues-Sun 9am-3pm and 6-9pm) can be helpful with logistics questions.

City Layout -- Tuxtla is laid out on a grid. The main street, Avenida Central, is the east-west axis and is the artery through town for Hwy. 190. West of the central district, it's called Bulevar Belisario Domínguez, and in the east, it's Bulevar Angel Albino Corzo. Calle Central is the north-south axis. The rest of the streets have names that include one number and two directions. This tells you how to get to the street. For example, to find the street 5 Norte Poniente (5 North West), you walk 5 blocks north from the center of town and turn west (which is left). To find 3 Oriente Sur, you walk 3 blocks east from the main square and turn south. When people indicate intersections, they can shorten the names because it's redundant. The bus station is at the corner of 2 Norte and 2 Poniente.

Getting Around -- Buses to all parts of the city converge upon the Plaza Cívica along Calle Central. Taxi fares are higher here than in other regions.

Fast Facts -- The telephone area code is 961. If you need medical help, the best clinic in town is Sanatorio Rojas, Calle 2 Sur Poniente 1847 (tel. 961/611-2079 or 612-5414).